A propitious day to start a blog: Simchat Torah. The fact that I’m on a computer during a festival, and the fact that we utterly forgot to go to synagogue last night to celebrate the festival ought to clue you in to the fact that I am not strictly “observant.” This morning, to try and make up for last night’s gaffe, my husband and I hauled out all our toy torahs and our one battered Simchat Torah flag and marched around the house (inside. It’s cold out there). The toddler totally bought it, but the teenager excused herself to another room. We do what we can.
We do what we can. This may be my mantra, when I remember it.
To console myself, I remember that I did bake a chocolate cake in honor of Shemini Atzeret just days ago. Not to mention the presence of the Sukkah in the back yard (and almost finished). And the homemade Yom Kippur break-fast. And the round, raisin challahs for Rosh Hashana. And the Star-of-David shaped “birthday cake to the world.” And the orchard-picked apples in Israeli honey, too. So, if I accidentally forgot about going to shul for the tenth time in a week, excuse me.
We do what we can.
Bible Belt Balabusta 
Hi Bible-Belt Balabusta,
Love your blog. It’s so great! I am a Jewish educator in Philly and would really love to have a clear copy of your Mitzvah Chart-Jewish Values for Growing Outstanding Jewish Children. It’s a really good one. Would you kindly email me a copy please? Thank you so much! Be well and Shannah tovah!
Thank you, Barbara. I can’t take credit for the chart, but only for reproducing it online with permission of the author, Ilene Vogelstein. It appeared in the June 2003 CAJE publication Jewish Values for Growing Outstanding Jewish Children.
Are you able to drag the image to your desktop and print? If not, holler and I’ll try to dig up my original pdf.
Joanna Brichetto